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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. degree — from a university
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — of your body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. net — after costs
  7. root — of a word
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. chip — for betting
  10. root — of a plant
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — the cause
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — to eat
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. degree — an amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com